Chainsaw Mill For Eastern Red Cedar

[DeepCreek]

I have found it flat impossible to purchase PT boards under four inches thick that are rated for ground contact. None of the lumber suppliers that I contacted could even order them in any more. So I started thinking about purchasing a small chainsaw mill to cut my own boards from eastern red cedar, which I have in abundance.

I did search this forum trying to get a handle on which model would be suitable, but would like some direct advice too.

If I get a mill, I would use it almost exclusively to saw 2" boards (slabs ?) in various widths, but 8" would be the minimum. Wider that that would be a bonus. I would like to saw at least 12' lengths, but could live with 8' if I had to. It would be a one man operation.

The biggest saw I have is an Echo CS-520 with a 20" bar. I'd prefer not to buy another saw, but wouldn't rule it out if it was the best way to go.

I'm sure there is much I haven't thought of. Educate me please.

Thanks,
DC

[LeeB]

Welcome DeepCreek. What you gonna do with these 2" boards that will be on the ground? How many do you need? What's your budget? Have you considered a smaller used band mill? Or maybe you might want to have someone saw it for you if you don't need a whole lot of it. I know nothing about your chainsaw. It takes a fair good size chainsaw to mill with without killing the saw.

[Jemclimber]

I started out with a chainsaw mill.  That saw will take a long time cutting to make your boards. How many boards do you need?  I think you'd be much farther ahead if you collected your logs and had someone mill them.  I also know thrifty and have a hard time paying for anything that I can do myself so I understand your plight. Bury your bar in the end grain of one of your logs and see if you have the patience with that saw to cut the length of boards you'll need.   Let us know how you make out.

[DeepCreek]

The boards will be used as gravel bed retainers. They will sit on edge on the soil. I need a about five hundred linear feet of board. The wife would like a few other things done that could use similar boards.

I have no specific budget, just don't want to go overboard, but prefer to do things myself.  I'm too far up there in age and really don't have enough flat land to set up any kind of permanent or semi-permanent mill. Time is not an issue, as I am retired.

[shelbycharger400]

I built mine pic in profile.  Chain mills are slow, but you can cut odd lengths and grain.  Hp is your friend.  I intentionally went with 4 cycle motor

[drobertson]

After reading this thread it made me wonder why someone has not come up with a portable bandsaw, much like the electric ones used for cutting metal. Only configured for a horizontal cut rather than a verticle, Just a thought, but it seems there are many folks that have their own timber and just want to hobby out some useable materials.  I'm thinking  Sawing ERC would be perfect for this type of mill application.  Just not sure how  the cost of a build  of this nature would be.     

[LeeB]

Actually someone did. I can't remember the name anymore. They were powered by a chainsaw head.

[LeeB]

Ripsaw was the name. Don't know what ever happened to them.

[Dodgy Loner]

I think you'd be much farther ahead if you collected your logs and had someone mill them.

Absolutely.

[DeepCreek]

I think you'd be much farther ahead if you collected your logs and had someone mill them.

Absolutely.

I appreciate the sentiment and advice, but that is something I really do not want to do.

[Ianab]

Actually someone did. I can't remember the name anymore. They were powered by a chainsaw head.

Ripsaw are still selling mills, but they cost ~$1600, plus your chainsaw, so it's not a cheap option.

I think you would be better looking around for a little manual band mill. With brand new ones available for under $3,000 the price of a used one should be around that sort of $$.

Having a "real" sawmill makes sawing fun, and if you have the trees, it wont take long to recover the cost of the mill.

Ian

[Magicman]

I personally am not too keen about ground contact with ERC.  Yes, you may find some slow growth trees that are rich with oil that will be OK, but usually in my area they are fence post size and not lumber size.

[DeepCreek]

Guess I should provide some more information. This will be an incremental project. My property had been neglected for many years when I bought it. Most of the wooded land, which is the great majority, is very steep and has no access except by foot. I am slowly changing that, but it takes time.  Right now I don't have any way to cut and haul sufficient cedar out to do the whole project. That's just one of the reasons I don't want to gather saw logs and haul them to a sawyer (or have him come here).

The down cedar that I have examined has all been very solid. AFAIK, much of it has been down for years.

 

[Magicman]

Personally, I would prefer to read it rather than having to Google to find the meaning.   ;D

[DeepCreek]

Personally, I would prefer to read it rather than having to Google to find the meaning.   ;D

You're referring to ERC, I presume.  :D

[drobertson]

Lee jogged my memory, I do remember now a chain saw powered gizmo like this.  As mentioned, some folks want to take a lil mill to the logs, saw and load.  I'm not sure what it takes to accomplish this, I can appreciate someone wanting to just saw up stuff with out a major set up, and it seems that csm's have this going.  I've never seen one so I can't say one way or the other.  But I have tried with my chain saw and see a potential for short run quick stock stuff.  I don't know, except I bet there is an opening for another  way of getting lumber out at a lower expense for farm use.     david

[shelbycharger400]

 Heres a few makers you can look at for csm's
norwood has a  csm ,   as is logosol if ya want to buy something to strap your chainsaw to .  Procut is another csm. 

The woodsman, (hot saw)   I looked at,  they stopped making them rather quickly  :'(,   had a nice autofeed, and a 4 cycle engine with chain saw bar.


If ya got enough stock,  and you can sell it, then you spend the $   on a  lucas or peterson.

quite a few here including myself built our own mills,   mine is setup to run short 4 footers up to 9 footers.     Logs get heavy  , so I built mine on 4x4 rails and roll the logs up in.

[mad murdock]

My advise would be look for a used chainsaw powered mill (CSM), I would look for a Logosol M5 or M7, or the Timberjig. If you want you could go with an Alaskan(Granberg), but for whichever way you go, you will need a saw of at least 70cc. 80 or bigger even better. If you don't have a saw that size, you can source that used as well. There are a lot of good used saws out there. Procut offers plans for a CSM that you can build, it is a proven design. The good thing about a CSM, though it will be slower and more work than a band mill, if you use a Granberg Alaskan or mini mill, or the Timberjig, you can mill the logs where you find them, and won't need a lot of heavier equipment to skid, load or handle a lot of heavy material. You will want a good peavy or 2 for log handling in the woods and turning as required (see Logrite), the results will be rewarding any which way you go. Maybe there is someone with a CSM near you so you can see first hand what you will be up against. Sounds like a nice patch of woods you got there! Work safe and good luck 8)

[fishpimp]

 cedar??? Chainsaw mill???
I charge by the hour on the mill sawing cedar. Def more bang for your buck than a chainsaw mill. My opinion , Nothing personal . I have yet to see a red cedar over 40"... Although I wished I had. I still would slab it on my WM

[francismilker]

To the OP. I'd think if you're looking for 8" boards with wider than that being a plus cut into 12' lengths, you're gonna need some good cedars.  In my neck of the woods we have quite a few that make boards like that but they have to be the good, bottom grown cedars that have fought their way through thick, congested forests looking for daylight to survive. 

With minimal taper, I'd say if you need 500 linear feet of those 2x8x12's you're gonna need several 12" trees on the small end.  You should get 4 boards per log (maybe more/less).  So, you should get roughly 48 linear feet per log and would need at least ten of these logs. 

Do you have that many good cedars?

Almost forgot to add.................The chainsaw mill is gonna eat up quite a bit of log with a wider kerf so my above figures are probably way off. 

I've got a friend who's got a chainsaw mill and hates cutting ERC with it BTW.

[DeepCreek]

Do you have that many good cedars? 

Yes.

I've got a friend who's got a chainsaw mill and hates cutting ERC with it BTW.

Any idea why he hates it?

[shelbycharger400]

Erc is stringy,  and abrasive,  requiring a lot more sharping the chain,  sometimes one cut and its dull.   Sometimes you get a 12 in log all sawed out.      Lets put it this way,  good sharp I cut one or 2 oaks,  then cut 3 or 4 pines into 1 by live edge. Then sharp

[francismilker]

Do you have that many good cedars? 

Yes.

I've got a friend who's got a chainsaw mill and hates cutting ERC with it BTW.

Any idea why he hates it?

ERC is brittle enough that unless his chain is razor sharp he loses a lot of chunks during the cut causing him to lose board thickness when he finishes.

[djwest8635]

Go with the Granberg Small Log Mill.  I have a Husqvarna 455 Rancher, bought some carlton ripping chain from ebay, and it melts right through 10-12" Eastern Red Cedar.  Everybody says 70cc or greater, but the small log mill is designed for bars 20" or less in length, so you can get by with a little less saw.  Remember to run your mix 40:1 and let the saw idle between cuts.  It has been a very rewarding experience for me.  I get consistently straight lumber and smooth lumber as well.  You may have to throw in the Mini Mill if you plan to square the cants; it helps a little. 

[36 coupe]

Do you have that many good cedars? 

Yes.

I've got a friend who's got a chainsaw mill and hates cutting ERC with it BTW.

Any idea why he hates it?

Red cedar is an allergy type of wood,worse than white cedar.I saw some white cedar,its hard on blades and planer knives.Wear a good dust mask when sawing it.Did a bit of chainsaw lumber making.Bought a band mill pretty quick.Logging and sawing lumber is hard work after 60.At 76 its work one day then 2 days to get over it.